Universal Avionics (Universal) has officially received certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for its Connected FMS upgrade.

Operators in Europe flying with a Universal flight management system (FMS) can now connect securely to an iPad for tasks like:

• Flight planning
• Database updates
• Access to flight data

The upgrade helps operators save meaningful time by wirelessly syncing database updates before flight and aircraft data after flight.

Pilots can use the system for applications like:

• Viewing and updating the FMS flight plan from their tablet on the ground and in flight
• Using third-party applications to receive FMS flight data or enhance its data flow

Flight operations and maintenance teams also  receive post-flight performance insights automatically. For fleet operators, simpler routine tasks can help improve aircraft availability.

The certification is an EASA Approved Model List Supplemental Type Certificate (AML STC), building on approvals of Universal's AML STCs for Part 23 and Part 25 aircraft by the FAA and Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA).

The Universal SSDTU+ enables the upgrade, adding a secure, low-power cockpit Wi-Fi access point with built-in cybersecurity protection. It uses the same mechanical and electrical installation as Universal's existing SSDTU, allowing a quick-turn upgrade for aircraft that already have one installed.

The EASA-approved upgrade is available on the following aircraft models:

• Bombardier CL-601-1A/3A/3R
• Cessna 500, 550 (V/Ultra/Encore/Bravo), 560 (Excel, XLS Series), 650 (Citation III/VI/VII)
• Dassault Falcon 10/20/200/50/900A/900B/2000/2000EX
• Gulfstream G200/GIII/GIV/V
• Hawker 800A/B/XP, Hawker 1000
• Learjet 31/31A/35/35A/36/36A/40/45/55/60
• ATR 42-300/320/500 and ATR 72-200/500
• De Havilland Dash 8-100/200/300, Dash 8-400 (Q400)
• Embraer 145/145ER/145LR/135ER/135LR/135KL/145XR/145MP/145EP
• Saab 340A/B

Universal Avionics CEO Dror Yahav said, “European operators can now take advantage of the same time savings and real-time flight planning already available to our customers in the U.S. and Canada.”

Yahav added, “This certification reflects the extensive cybersecurity work required to securely connect tablets to certified avionics, and it brings connected operations to even more of the aircraft flying with Universal today."